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Hello, I'm Jack Wilson.

Welcome to The History of Literature. Okay, here we go, let's get started. I'm very glad you could join me today and that you chose to do so.

We are on part three of an Alice Monroe masterpiece, The Love of a Good Woman, and we haven't talked about the title at all. Let me say first of all that

if you're just getting started now, if you're wondering if you're joining the party late,

you're welcome to listen but you should probably at least listen to part two first.

Part one is disconnected it's important for atmosphere at context, and mood setting, and some broader themes, but it's kind of a standalone episode. That's just how the novella works. Parts two and three are not. You should really listen to them both. So if you haven't

listened to part two yet, you might want to check that out and then come back.

Unless you're really familiar with the story. I guess that's also a possibility.

I'll leave it up to you. So the title, the love of a good woman. What does that mean?

Usually it's a phrase we use when we're talking about men, right?

Could be women too, of course, but the phrase as we've come to know it is kind of an aspirational phrase, something men need, something that will help

you in life, right? Need a roof over my head, need a car in the garage, need clothes on my back, a chicken in the pot, and the love of a good woman.

It's elevated more than those other things.

All he needed was the love of a good woman. Have you heard that before?

And Monroe is taking that apart a little bit, holding a microscope up to it.

Here's love. Well, first of of all here's a good woman. Here's a good woman and

here's her love. What do those things mean exactly? A good woman might love in a lot of different ways.

It's not really connected to a man when you just take that phrase.

Subtract that part out of it. Don't think of it as something that a man needs to complete him, to make him whole, to help him go out and slay dragons or run a business or conquer his demons.

Think of it as a woman who wants to be good.

Who's trying to be good?

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